News Release| Honorary Doctorate; Cal State L.A.

Note to editors and news directors: To request for a photo of John W. Mack or to make arrangements to attend the Saturday Commencement, call the Cal State L.A. Public Affairs Office in advance at (323) 343-3050.

L.A. Police Commission President Mack to be awarded Honorary Doctorate by the CSU Board of Trustees at Cal State L.A.’s 2011 Commencement

Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Police Commission President John W. Mack will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees at Cal State L.A.’s Commencement ceremony Saturday, June 11.

“I have known John Mack for 30 years, and marvel at his abilities and his contributions to the community. He has headed the Urban League and numerous other civic organizations, and he is a legend throughout the country,” said Herbert L. Carter, chair of the CSU Board of Trustees. “He is president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, where he will continue to keep a focus on community needs. He is a model for higher education because of his values, conscience and commitment to equal opportunities for all.”

John W. Mack was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa in August of 2005. He held the position of President of the Police Commission for two consecutive years, and then the position of Vice President for two years. In 2009, he was re-elected to the President post.

He served as president of the Los Angeles Urban League from August of 1969, until his retirement in 2005. Under his leadership, the Los Angeles Urban League has become one of the most successful non-profit community organizations in Los Angeles with an annual budget of $25 million.

Mack is a highly respected advocate for equal opportunities in education, law enforcement and economic empowerment for African-Americans and other minorities—and a bridge builder across all racial, cultural, economic, gender and religious lines.

During a two-day festivity filled with pride and celebrations, Cal State L.A. will confer more than 5,000 bachelor’s and master’s degrees at this year’s Commencement exercises June 10 and 11. The Friday 5 p.m. ceremony will honor graduates in the Charter College of Education; College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology; and College of Health and Human Services. The Saturday 8 a.m. ceremony will honor the graduates in the College of Arts and Letters; College of Business and Economics; and College of Natural and Social Sciences.

Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 215,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu